Crew members aboard the Carnival Vista saved six men stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic after a small cargo vessel capsized overnight.
The ship’s officers spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and bring them on board.
The cruise line reported six additional crew members from the vessel Two Brothers were still missing.
A successful search and rescue operation for the six others was carried out thereafter by Coast Guard authorities.
Carnival Vista’s officers under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert.
The officials launched a search for the remaining crew members and advised Carnival Vista to return to its route.
Coast Guard officials confirmed they later rescued the six additional crew members.
The aircrew hoisted all six of the survivors onto the helicopter, and transferred them to emergency medical services in Puerto Plata.
“The weather conditions were less than ideal,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeb Slick, the mission’s copilot. “Our crew’s outstanding work ethic and dedication to training led to the successful rescue of these survivors.”
All 12 survivors were reported in good health.
Despite the incident, Carnival Vista proceeded with its scheduled visit to Amber Cove. The ship, which is homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida, is currently sailing a six-day itinerary that departed Sunday.
Video credit: US Coast Guard
